


™ goods

by Chef_Rowl, ivarara



Category: Warframe
Genre: hecka you they happy fewbjcd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-04 05:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20465684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chef_Rowl/pseuds/Chef_Rowl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivarara/pseuds/ivarara
Summary: just a buncha drabbles by Chef_Rowl and I about our operators being gorlfrends





	1. You Can't Cheat Nature, Apparently

**Author's Note:**

> Tinleah is Chef_Rowl's operator btw!!!

As usual, the Derelicts weren’t as “derelict” as their name would make one assume. Infested still rampaged the abandoned ships and halls. Brave Grinner and Corpus troops would scavenge what they could from the wrecks, scattered about the place.  


But they weren’t here on an official mission, no. This was more an.._.escapade_. No grabs at gambling with Orokin Vaults. No caches. No mass destruction that had a purpose. Just a quick rip in, find some targets, and out.

Ivara stands at the ready, Artemis Bow out and taut. A sleep arrow sits notched and ready to be fired.

Datura stands by the entrance, keeping an eye out for any enemies that made it past the initial ruckus created by the group on their way in.

Tinleah sits, tucked atop an old bark-like grown jutting from the wall. The dark colors of her Transference suit provided a prime chance to blend in to the shadows. A scanner-- a _Synthesis_ scanner, let’s not allow that be construed with a plain Codex scanner--sat in her palm. With Datura at the doors, she could focus solely on scanning her targets. Not for herself. For Max.

Who was...worryingly absent at the moment. _She knows how to take care of herself,_ her mind reassures. 

Feral kavats meander the room, investigating the area with the curiosity of an animal that knew it would be able to defend itself if need be. Tinny waited for the telltale _fwip_ of Ivara’s arrow singing through the air, tranquilizing the animals for a short period to make the tedious task that much easier. 

Ivara’s finger twitched, moving off the drawn string of the bow.

A kavat lifted its head and peered straight into a corner, hissing lowly as its floppy ears pinned back. The others followed its gaze.

A god-awful eruption of noise came from the corner. The felines scattered instantly, darting out of the area before the arrow even had a chance to hit the ground. 

She knew that sound. That was the sound of someone trying to hold in a sneeze. Behind a mask. 

At least she knew where her companion was now.

Datura looks back at them, raising a hand in a questioning gesture and tilting her head. Ivara’s arms flump to her sides as her shoulders sag in resignation.

“Are you _serious?_” Her voice comes off more sternly than intended.

“I didn’t think they’d be close enough for it to happen!” Max protests. Her shock of ruffled red-orange hair emerges from around the corner, Trouvaille (for once, the quieter of the two) closely behind. “I tried to be quiet! Be happy I didn’t slam my head into something this time!”

“Should have you wear a helmet instead of just the mask,” Tinleah grumbles. Both Datura and Ivara catch her sentence and nod in agreement. “Does Zus know about that yet?”

“Gosh, no. Everyone else does, though,” Max says balefully. They meet up near the center of the room.

“‘Let’s go find kavats,’ you said.” Tin reaches up to roughly scruffle Max’s wild locks. “‘I’ll stay far enough away that my allergies won’t kick in’, you said.” Max ducks her head. “‘I’ll be totally silent; you won’t know I’m even near--’”

“But you didn’t, for a moment,” Max points out. “I did a good job of that while it lasted.”

“‘While it lasted’,” Tin laughs whole-heartedly to herself. She reaches an arm around Max’s neck to yank her down. When in range, her other wraps alongside it. Max’s hands float in the air dumbly for a second before they land on her shoulder blades to return the loving embrace. “You’ve got to stop worrying about returning gestures, by the way. If I’m starting them, I’m obviously anticipating them in return.” She tucks her face into Max’s shoulder, mindful of the heavier armor she wore.

Max grunts. “Guess it’ll take getting used to. And practice. Lots of practice. Like, never-ending practice.”

“You’re in luck. I’m willing to ‘practice’ as much as you need.”


	2. Summertime Smooch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tinny and Max have a little picnic on the beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just a lil shippy thing I wrote for giggles. It was pretty short at first but I ended up expanding it a fair bit.

It was a lovely day on the Plains. The sun was shining, the air was clear, the air warm with a gentle breeze. And what with Kela de Thaym’s “special” Rathuum series winding down, there was very little Grineer activity lately.

Perfect day for a picnic, so Tinleah and Maxis did just that. Time alone together was a rare treat; they went so far as leaving their frames in Cetus. They were sitting on rugs by the ocean, just managing to catch the shade of the tower in the afternoon sun. A veritable feast of fruits and vegetables and fish and bread and cheese was spread in front of them, and they chowed down as they talked, catching up after several weeks apart.

After a particularly hilarious story about Trou and a MOA, the two Tenno laughed aloud, scaring a nearby flock of condrocs into flight. They slowly settled down, giggling to themselves. Then, together, in silence, they enjoyed the sound of the waves on the sand and the wind through the grass.

“You know, Max, I’m really glad we met,” Tinny said as she reached for another fruit.

“Right back at’cha,” Max beamed around a mouthful of bread. “The Hounds are great, but it’s just nice to...”

“Yeah.”

They sat and ate in silence for a few minutes more, just enjoying the company.

“Hey, Tin, do you...”

“Hm?”

“No, nevermind.” Max was blushing, ever so slightly.

There was another long, peaceful pause.

“Hey, Max, you got something on your face.”

“What? Where?” Max said as she wiped her face with a hand.

“No no, here, let me get it.”

Max turned to her friend, and Tin leaned in. She pressed her lips against Max’s and kissed her deeply, slowly.

“It was my face,” Tinny smirked as she reluctantly pulled away.

Max sat dumbfounded for a second before pouncing on Tinny and pinning her to the ground, straddling her torso. “No fair!”

“Well come on then, even up the score,” Tinny teased, puckering up.

Max leaned down and returned the kiss. She was rougher, more excited than Tinny, and didn’t back off for a full minute. “Hah! There, now I’m winning!”

Tinny laughed. She pushed Max’s hips back onto her thighs then sat up so they came face-to-face. They wrapped their arms around each other, breathing heavily. “Rematch?”

Max nodded, and Tin leaned into another deep, slow kiss. They stayed locked together for several minutes before Tinny pulled away and jumped to her feet, sending Max tumbling to the sand. “Last one to the water is a crippled ghoul!” she cried, tearing off her transference suit to reveal a tasteful black bikini.

Max was halfway out of her own transference suit when Tin dove into the chilly waves. When she resurfaced, Max tackled her and they wrestled playfully in the salty water. Tin got ahold of Max from behind and held her arms pinned to her sides, both panting. Tin ran her hands over Max’s stomach, massaging and pinching through her bathing suit. Max gasped as Tin’s hands wandered lower and began pulling at her bathing suit.

“Wait, wait...”

Tin froze. “No?”

Max shook her head. “No.”

“Okay.” Tin pulled away enough to turn her around and embrace her in a warm hug, her chin pressed against Max’s forehead.

“I’m sorry...”

“Don’t be. Thank you for stopping me before I hurt you.” Tin planted a quick kiss on her forehead.

They stayed in that embrace for some time, sharing their body warmth as the cold ocean waves lapped at their hips.

Max began shivering. She was built like a drahk, but her small frame and lack of fat meant she got cold easily.

“C’mon, let’s head back.”

They redressed and collected their picnic, then hiked back to Cetus. It took much longer without the inhuman speed of a warframe or archwing, but they relished the peace of the stroll. They held hands as they went, just enjoying the company and contact for now. Soon enough, Maxis would be called back to action, and Tinleah would return to her lonely vigil aboard her Orbiter.

“Wanna stay at my place for now? I’ve got some movies I’ve been meaning to watch.”

Max’s face lit up. “Yeah! We only get Rathuum in the barracks.”

When they made it back to Cetus--pausing at the huge double doors as they took way too long to open, naturally--they headed to Nakak’s stall, waving at Konzu as they passed through.

“Thanks for letting us borrow your stuff, Nakak.”

They couldn’t see her face under her mask, but they could tell she had a wry, knowing, smug little grin under there. “Happy to help, Tenno!”

Tin handed over a fistful of credits, then took Max’s hand again and led her through the bustling market to the landing pad. Datura and Hush caught up with them along the way. There was a continuous flow of Tenno landing craft coming and going, but somehow they managed to keep an orderly pattern despite the lack of any kind of flight control. They didn’t wait long before Tin’s Mantis came down and allowed all four of them to clamber up the boarding ramp and squeeze into the passenger compartment.

Back on her orbiter, Max tore away from Tin and ran full pelt around the sterile halls. The taller Tenno smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm as she padded to her room and changed into her pajamas. “Max! I have a spare set for you!”

A distant thumping got close real quick as Max came tearing into Tin’s quarters. She flung her clothes into the corner and was changed into the too-big pajamas in seconds, beaming.

“Happy?”

Max nodded enthusiastically.

“Come on, let’s get this movie night started. Solise!”

“I’m on it.”

The lights in Tin’s quarters dimmed to darkness and the window turned opaque, then glowed as Solise projected a movie onto it. Datura and Hush appeared after a couple minutes, bearing gifts in the form of salty snacks and sweet drinks and soft pillows. The two operators snuggled into each other atop their pile of cushions, ready for a night of quiet fun. But they were both soon asleep.

Hush and Datura looked at each other and put a hand to their mouths in a sign for a giggle, then snuck out of the room.

* * *

When Tinleah woke, Maxis was already up. She got up off their nest and snuck up behind her girlfriend for a surprise hug.

“Morning!” Tin trilled into Max’s ear as she wrapped her arms around her.

Max didn’t react. She was stock still, staring at Tin’s shelves laden with all sorts of odds and ends.

“What’s wrong?” Tin asked, concerned.

“You still got all the stuff I’ve gotten for you,” Max said, almost whispering. 

“Well, yeah, they’re gifts, Max. Of course I keep them. Is it some super secret Grineer tradition to throw out every gift you get?”

“Um.” Max hesitated, nervously fingering the too-loose pajama pants. “No, I just... Uh... I didn’t know any other Tenno back when I was... y’know, and with the Hounds I was told not to really give things or get too close because you don’t know when someone could get transferred or sent on a different mission than you or they…” Max’s rambling trailed off before she caught herself.

“Plus they’re all rough-housing  _ dudes _ , I can’t give them floofs or flowers like I do with you.” She grinned genuinely.

“Oh, Max...” Tinleah started, but cut herself off. Maxis didn’t mean to darken the mood, that is simply her reality. She turned her girlfriend around and squeezed her tightly. Max let out a muffled, confused squeak into Tin’s chest before hesitantly returning the hug.

“Gotta get you used to this,” Tin murmured into Max’s ruffled hair. She hums an agreement, melting into Tin as they stood tangled together. 

“I plan on helping with that whenever I can.” Tinleah pulled back and blew a puff of air at Max’s bangs, making her squint and flinch slightly. “For now, breakfast time, yeah?”

Max smiled a small, reserved smile. “Yeah, okay.”


	3. Shady Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy gets dragged in to a scenario. Fortunately, he's got...ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for those of yall that donot know!!! buffy is the hounds' [max's squad] heavy weapons guy, zus is the commander. they care about her and try to keep her from doing things like eating dirt while still encouraging her to do things like climbing what she shouldnt

Max sidles closer to the heavy weapons specialist. “Buff.”

Buffy grunts. Trouvaille’s ear flicks at the sound of her voice.

“Bee. I need help. Please.” The urgent undertone in the Tenno’s voice snaps him to action.

“Who are we slaughtering?” Buffy growls. Trouvaille’s at attention now. “Who’s done it?”

Max gives him a bewildered look. “What? No. Nobody. Different kind of help.”

“Spelling?”

“I can spell just fine,” Max grits.

“Okay, _Cropus _infiltration specialist.”

“No, no. Listen. It’s with Tinleah.”

Buffy’s attention isn’t just grabbed, it’s snatched. “Oh? The galfriend?”

“Yeah, the galfriend.”

“What’s up?” Buff cocks his head to the side curiously.

“She, ah.” Max is fumbling for words. “She doesn’t feel good.”

“She sick?” Why was she asking him about that? That’s Dodge’s field.

“No,” Max stammers. “She’s, ah...feeling down. Real down.”

Buffy knew that feeling. Forged for war, used for war, destined to die in war. The Grineer soldiers that had enough bearings to realize this fact were reluctantly compliant with it. That did not mean they were okay with it.

Buffy shakes his head subtly. “And?”

“I need help,” Max spits out again. “I dunno what to _do. _I was gonna just go see her or something like that, but the Hounds are busy for a few days.” She’s rambling worriedly now. “I could just give her a heads-up about showing up, but that’d ruin the surprise, y’know? It’s better if it’s unannounced. It makes a person happier. Plus, in a few days, she might be fine! It’d be weird if I insisted on showin’ over to ‘make her feel better’ if she ain’t even feeling bad anymore!” Max is pacing now. “Then what if she doesn’t want to see anyone? What if she wants to be alone? I respect that. I don’t want to intrude. But I want to let her know I love her still! I want to help!” Max scrubs her palms over her face. Trouvaille whines at her distress.

“You’re overthinking it, kid,” Buffy smirks. Max stares blankly at him. “If you do it with kind intention, Tinny won’t mind what you do to help her; the fact that you went out of your way to help is going to make her feel better regardless.”

Max stares at the ceiling in despair.

“Oh, by the Queens, kid, you’re in _deep_.”

The Tenno plunks down to sit on the floor next to her kubrow. “What in the hell do I do?”

Buffy thinks. He was no expert. But he knew something. “Cheesy idea inbound.”

Max groans. “Go for it.”

“Get her a little gift.”

“Like what?”

“What does she like?” 

“Hm. I don’t...quite know. She likes it when we just roam around outside and pick flowers and stuff. Her and Datura get these little vases for water she puts them in so they last a bit. She likes the floofs Biz and Master Teasonai offer.” Max pauses. “So...should I try those?”

“Well, we’re already on the Plains. I’d imagine you and Ivara could track a few animals quickly, correct?”

“Yeah,” Max answers meekly. 

“So that’s what we’ll do. Get the goods, throw her cephalon a message to swing by. Delivery, and shazam. Girlfriend loved.” Buff snaps his fingers.

Max looks to be gathering her bearings. “Okay. Okay! Yeah. That’s easy enough. She’ll like that.”

“Plan made. Let’s get to it.”

“‘Let’s’?”

“I’m your wingman now. I’m not bailing on you.”

Max’s relieved smile is visible even behind her mask.

  


  


Outside is brisk and breezy. Ivara slings a tranq rifle over her shoulder while Max shifts from foot to foot beside her, Trouvaille snuffling the dirt between them. 

“Go forth, warrior of love!” Buffy bellows. “Track the elusive animals of these Plains in the name of romance!” The other Hounds at the station peer over at the commotion.

“Buffy,” Max hisses_. “Shut up.”_

Ivara slaps Max’s back in a gesture of comfort, ushering her away. The Warframe throws a sly look over her shoulder at the specialist as they wander off.

_ Godspeed, you little hellion._ Buffy nonchalantly glances around. Good. Flowers are abundant at least. He marked the clumps of blooms mentally for when the kid returned.

  


  


“Okay.” Maxis heaves up a hill to speak to Buffy. “I got enough to get the more uncommon Kuaka floofs for her. Sidenote: Mergoos suck.” Ivara acts as if chuckling.

“Good on you,” Buffy encourages. “I did some very serious flower hunting while you were out, to save you some time.”

Max shoots him a look of disbelief, before shaking her head slightly and sighing. “Okay. I’ll grab a handful. Where at?”

“Over by the little shade tree, and then over towards the Lake. Lots of colors for you to peruse.”

Max wanders off with Trouvaille in tow. Ivara stands with Buffy.

“Buffy.” A serious, gruff voice sounds from right behind him.

“Sir,” Buffy drawls, turning.

Zus is scowling at him. “What are you doing? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for hours now.”

“Apologies. Very serious business going on.” Buffy answers gravely.

“Like?”

“Like our little unruly tagalong trying to cheer her gal up.”

“Oh?” Zus is fully intrigued now. “What have you two decided on doing?”

“Kiddo came up with the idea for some flowers and floofs to drop off.”

“I won’t pretend to be smart about this kind of thing, so I’ll assume those are good.”

“As you can get,” Buffy shrugs.

“How are you getting ahold of her? The girl? Tinleah?”

“Max figured she’d get on the line with the gal’s cephalon and have them swing by the docks in Cetus. Easiest route we have right now.”

Zus hums in thought. “You know when? I’ve got to have time to come up with an excuse for her to go to the place. To be inconspicuous, you know.”

“Trust me. The other Hounds know_ damn well _already.” Ivara rolls her head.

“You _know_ how she is about attention, you jerk,” Zus snarls with no malice.

“I do it because_ I care_.”

Max trots back over, slowing significantly when she spots Zus.

“The jig is up! He knows already! Run for it!” Buffy urges hurriedly.

Max looks genuinely conflicted, looking between the two of them.

“He’s joking.” Zus assures, raising his palms placatingly. 

“I’m not! Who do you trust more, kid? Your advice expert or your chore-assigning father figure?”

Max’s eyes are wide with confusion. Ivara slugs Buffy’s shoulder roughly.

“He’s full of it, Maxis.” Zus sighs. “I’m in on it now. This is an operation now.”

The Tenno’s face flushes.

“Zus here is gonna schedule you on a mission to Cetus so you can get in without much suspicion,” Buffy whispers dramatically. Zus nods seriously. 

“We can find you a pack to put everything in. Hurry, now, those flowers will wilt.” Zus shoos her towards the base.

  


  


“Hey, uh, Solise?”

“Yes, Maxis? Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah. I just... got some stuff for Tin. If you can swing by Cetus real quick.”

“You are aware that the technology on this Orbiter allows us to travel from planet to planet at significant speeds, correct?”

“Oh my God, please just hurry.”

The motherly voice is warm with amusement. “We will be there shortly. Keep your eyes to the skies, friend.”


	4. Dog Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivara is just as bad at encouraging bad behavior.

On days like these, the waters of Gara Toht Lake are lukewarm; cold at first, but easy to adjust to. A perfect way to kill time while waiting for orders. 

Ivara’s not keen on joining anything to do with the lake that isn’t fishing or just relaxing. Propped up against a shade tree on the shore, the Warframe resigns to resting, or at least whatever close to resting can be achieved when a restless and reckless Tenno is running loose. Ivara elects to watch from the shore, safe and sound and dry.

Trouvaille is enough entertainment to keep Maxis busy. He darts into the water and back out, tearing through the dirt along the shore. Max chases him, just barely able to keep pace. Trou flashes back into the water, swimming out to the shrine at the center with his chin high. 

Max smirks behind her mask. She peels off the heavier aspects of her armor, leaving just the cuirass and leggings. Less weight to drag her down, or less mess to deal with after, Ivara couldn’t decide which would be her excuse. She tears towards the water’s edge, wading through the shallower waters before dunking under the calm waters with a held breath.

Combat keeps her in top shape, so swimming is no real challenge. She slices through the water before arriving at the shrine with a sopping-wet kubrow waiting eagerly. Max clambers up onto the rock, water sloughing off of her. Trouvaille waits until she’s settled before unleashing a torrent of water droplets from his fur. He shakes vigorously, ears flapping against his head. Max squawks out an indignant cry as she tries to shield herself. Trouvaille stands and waits for Max to recover.

Max flicks a few beads of water out of her eyes before rising.

“On three?” She asks, as if the canine could respond. “One, two…”

The doors to and from Cetus creak as they come to life, rumbling as they ready to open. 

_ Ah. Our arranged company has arrived._

“Three!” The two plunk back into the water nearly simultaneously. When they resurface, they resume roughing each other up, Trouvaille leaping onto Max’s shoulders to knock her back down into the water, Max picking him up and (gently) slamming him back into the water in faux anger.

The company approaches Ivara’s position. “Is that who I think it is?” A tired voice asks.

Ivara nods. Who else would it be?

“Listen, she’s your problem just as much as mine,” the company scolds. Ivara rolls her head.

Trouvaille and Maxis make their way back to shore down the way, oblivious. Max’s wild and ruffled hair is soaked and clinging to the sides of her face, and Trouvaille’s fur black and brown coat is ruffled and matted.

“Ivara! Guess wh--” and she cuts herself off meekly, eyes wide.

“You have_ got_ to be kidding me,” Tinleah scolds. “You’re soaking wet. You didn’t take all your armor off. You didn’t even take your mask off!”

Max shrugs and nervously runs fingers through damp hair. “I--”

“And you’re covered in mud! Don’t get me wrong, I’m as happy to see my girlfriend as ever, but jeesh.”

Max objects. “There was nothing to do!”

“Your solution was to roll around in mud and water for half an hour?! You knew we were coming!”

Max looks genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know you were coming!”

Ivara crosses her arms smugly. Datura catches her gaze and gives a knowing mischief-consenting nod as they settle to watch their Tenno’s friendly bickering bicker lightly.

Tinleah storms up to Maxis. Max recoils, likely not wanting to smudge any dirt or mud on Tinny’s spotless outfit, but Tinleah has none of it. She grabs Max by the arm and drags her closer, holding her in place.

“But you’ll get all cruddy,” Max weakly protests.

“I don’t mind getting ‘cruddy’ in the right conditions. Do I like it? No. Getting ‘cruddy’ after a mission, no. Getting ‘cruddy’ because my actual hellion of a girlfriend can’t keep herself clean to save her life, that’s fine with me.” Tinleah reaches up to ruffle Max’s hair back into it’s normal scruffy state. Max ducks her head reflexively.

“Ugh, you’re insufferable,” Tinny sighs after a pause. When Max goes to defend herself again, she’s cut off. “But while insufferable, I still love you, you absolute goober.”

Max preens. She drags Tinleah into an embrace, much to her disgruntlement. Max makes it a point to rub off as much dirt and mud as possible. Tinleah grimaces before accepting her fate.

Trouvaille barks, adopting a playful stance.

Tinleah turns to address him, an arm still hooked around Max’s neck. “And you, mister! You’re just as bad!”

Trou barks excitedly and jumps up on Tinleah, planting his muddy front paws on her chest and licking her face. She flails under his sloppy kisses. “Hey! Stop! Trou!”


	5. First Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxis is still growing accustomed to her new life. Of course, life itself decides to throw some surprises her way.

Maxis is still growing accustomed to her new life and its... adventures. Rewiring her brain to perceive former enemies that she’d shoot on sight as now allies she’d fight for was one of the trickier things. Between her and Hush, she still reflexively scoped in on any distant Grineer heads that meandered in front of her Argonak. But she never, ever pulled the trigger. Not anymore.

Rewiring her brain to perceive the Tenno as enemies, her former brothers and sisters under the Lotus, was harder. Formerly fighting alongside them and their Warframes, now targeting them in particular when on a mission. Hush, Trouvaille, and Maxis were the Hounds’ best bet against any interfering Tenno forces. 

Fortunately, so far that hasn’t been an issue. Corpus infiltrations were easy enough to do with Hush’s abilities, so even if a Tenno did show, they were usually finished with their task at hand before any others arrived.

“Maxis. Can you see the vault yet?” Her commander, Zus, grunted through her comm link.

“Not quite,” she whispers back from the spot they’d taken for now: under a set of stairs, squished behind crates and barrels of miscellaneous goods. “We need to proceed further down the hallway to the side, and it should be there.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.” Former Tenno ways of running rampant into Corpus facilities and ships granted Max the knowledge of the basic layouts of the buildings. Corpus seemed to be rather unimaginative in their architecture, at least in these cases. The same patterns repeated over and over; the same room layouts recycled for efficiency and savings, probably.

“You’re lucky I’m lenient,” Zus mutters. “You’re rather informal with your speaking.”

Max flushes under the cover of her facemask, but her eyes go wide. “Sorry,” she stammers quietly. “Uh, sir.”

“Cut that out. Get what you’re doing done; we can focus on mannerisms some other time.” The link beeps as the line is cut.

Hush peers at Max, still fidgeting nervously after the communication from her commander. Trouvaille swirls an ear to face her, but stays focused on the doorway nearest to them.

“It’s...nothin’,” Max whispers, brushing off Hush’s concern.

Hush doesn’t seem to believe her, but does look away.

_ Oh, great. This is, what, my third mission? And I’m already pissing the commander off._

She shakes her head to rattle the thoughts out. “Hush, you know the plan?” Her Ivara Warframe nods, rifling through her quiver for the correct arrows.

“Trouvaille.” The kubrow, snaps to attention, going stock-still. “Heel.” He slinks over to Max’s feet, and lies in wait. 

Hush cloaks herself in Prowl silently, then quickly tags an arrow onto Maxis and Trouvaille to render them unseen for a short period.

“Okay. Keep them distracted, yeah?” A nod from Hush. “Let’s roll.”

Max prides herself on how silently she could move when she wants to. It’s part of what convinced the Hounds to take her little trio in, under the guise of working for intelligence infiltrations. Hush is always silent, no matter what she did. Hush could fire off a deafening shotgun and enemies would still be left trying to figure out where the noise had come from. Trouvaille was surprisingly quiet as well, figuring out how to walk on the pads of his paws to stay silent. He also worked up a near-imperceptible series of noises to signal Maxis and Hush: a low growl, a quick huff, a muted grunt, a quiet whuff. 

Crewmen mill around in the hallway they slither through, oblivious that they’d been infiltrated in the first place. Still, Hush kept a noise arrow ready for use.

“There’s the vault,” Max whispers mostly to herself. Hush knew the fact. Trouvaille... doesn't care. Trouvaille just wants Max safe.

They sidle into the entrance to the vault, the outer door swishing shut behind them as the cloak arrows wear off and Hush comes out of Prowl.

“Uh…” Max stares at the console.

The screen is green.

The vault is unlocked. Why is it unlocked? Who’s in there?

Trouvaille’s fur bristles as he gives a warning snarl. Hush is on alert as well, Artemis Bow ready to harm rather than disguise.

“We don’t know who it is yet,” Max worries. “Just...keep your trigger-finger off the trigger for now.”

Hush nods warily, but cloaks her Operator and kubrow again.

“You keep an eye out for company. Trouvaille and I will go to the target console.”

Hush slips into the vault and goes one way, while Max and Trouvaille go the other. The vault is eerily silent and dormant. No guards wandered their patrol routes. No security cameras hummed as they scan the area. Even the laser grids seem to have been disabled.

Max is naive, but certainly not dumb.

A shape moves inside the tiny walled-off area the console is hidden in. _Ah. There’s our company._

“Hush, they’re at the console. Distract them.”

Hush breaks open a vent grate, using the clattering of metal bars to jump in the vent unnoticed. The shape by the console freezes.

Still cloaked, Max and Trouvaille round a corner and enter the tiny room. The tension is damn near palpable with how close they all are. Hush purposefully rustles in the vents above them, the stranger--a Warframe? A Saryn Prime, by the looks of it--looking up to follow the noise.

_Oh, no_. Max’s stomach sinks and her heart chills. _Please, no. Not now._

The Saryn Prime draws a Tiberon Prime, slowly raising it to aim at the grates above them with a few steps to the side.

Get in there. Max slinks up to the console, nimble fingers working quickly over the screen to unlock the data within. 

She’s just finishing up the hack when Trouvaille snarls, deep and guttural and threatening.

And then the Prime bodily runs in to the cloaked Operator.

“What the--?” A surprised female voice emanates from the Warframe as it swings its rifle in Max’s general direction. “Who’s there? Show yourself, now. We know you’re here.”

_ For crying out loud, this is just my luck_, Max laments to herself_. Of course_ it’s another Warframe, one that can melt their armor off in seconds. _Of course_ it’s another Operator that’s mastered actual Transference, making the link between Warframe and Operator stronger and more flexible. 

Trouvaille is still bristling and growling as the cloak arrows wear off at the contact.

Max gawks at the Saryn Prime, finger on the trigger of her Argonak to at least provide cover if needed.

“You’re... what, a competitor?” The Saryn’s voice sounds like how a smirk looks.

Maxis says nothing, eyes narrowing suspiciously, finger still on the trigger.

“You are a Tenno, right?” 

Max doesn’t respond. 

“Where’s your Warframe, then?”

Max stays silent, glaring.

“You’re not very friendly, you know.” The Saryn declares as she holsters the Tiberon.

Max falters, eyebrows raising for a split second.

“Oh, that got you? Hurt your feelings?”

The Saryn Prime stands still, arms at her side, for a moment. Her Operator swiftly Transfers out of the Warframe, and stands proudly, arrogantly before the intruders, a full seven inches taller than Maxis. The Saryn crosses her arms as she stands behind the other Tenno, reinforcing the intimidating image.

“You gonna hand that data over?” She asks cockily.

Max glares again as Trouville growls.

“A little kubrow to watch your back instead of a Warframe, then?” The other Operator peers closer at the canine. “A Grineer patch…? You’re allied with the Grineer?” She asks incredulously. 

Max anxiously shifts her weight on her feet.

“You’ve got the patch too. You’re allied with them?”

Silence.

“Interesting... How about we strike a deal.” She says with faux-earnesty. “Give me that data from the console, and I’ll let you scamper back to your pack of dogs you’ve somehow managed to worm into.”

Maxis’ hand tightens around the small datamass with all the information on it. 

“I’ll admit, I admire your gall.” She steps closer, Trouvaille’s growl growing in volume. “Give it over. I’m trying to help you out, here. A scathing scolding from your superior would be preferable to death, no?”

Hush snaps out of the vent above them, slamming into the ground between the two Tenno. The Saryn Prime flinches, but readies herself, pulling her Operator back towards her to safety. Hush mimics the motion.

“An Ivara for a spy mission? Cliche, but smart, I suppose.”

A commotion raises from outside the vault. Voices and footsteps nearing quickly.

“Last chance, sweetheart. Hand it over.”

Hush seems damn near about to burst into flame at the anger radiating off of her form. Before she can act, the entrance door to the vault whooshes open, an unruly herd of Crewmen barging in and shouting.

“Lovely,” the Operator mutters as she Transfers back into her Saryn Prime. She looks curiously at Maxis when she doesn’t do the same with Hush. “You go on your own? That’s courageous, I’ll admit.”

Max ignores what the non-sensible part of her mind is spewing. _Her looks. Say she looks nice. Ask if she wants to meet up in a different environment. Be her friend. Make a friend. Be nice. Just--_

A firm huff of air clears her head. “Hush, get back to the vents and sleep arrow some of those Crewmen.” Hush obeys immediately, leaping back up to the displaced grate to round the vents and throw out a sleep arrow. The arrow hits the ground with a_ tunk_, and the Crewmen in the immediate area slump over.

Involuntarily, Max throws a hand over her shoulder, ushering the Saryn Prime out.

“No need to tell me what to do,” the Operator’s voice rings out of the Warframe. “I can handle myself just _fine_.” She charges out of the vault, swinging a strange sword in strong backhanded strikes. The Warframe quickly infects a few unfortunate targets with spores that rapidly festered and strengthened as they spread.

But they did not affect Max, or Hush, or Trouvaille.

_Be touched about the act of kindness later._

Hush flies down from the vent, clearing a path for the other spies to scamper through. 

To her surprise, the other Warframe and Operator didn’t simply blast ahead of them, knock over soldiers as they make their escape. _Of course not; she still wants that data. _

“You guys coming or what?”

Hush grabs Max by the arm and drags her forward, Trouvaille scurrying along beside them. As they ran, more spores were spread, more Crewmen literally corroded away before Max’s eyes.

She shudders to herself. She was used to seeing and causing death, but it didn’t mean she was okay with it. And certainly not when it was this... gruesome.

“So, now that we’re here,” the Saryn Prime skids to a stop in an open room where Crewmen haven’t gathered yet. “Data? Now? Please? Pretty please?”

“Uh--” Maxis answers for the first time, before Hush picks her up bodily and runs.

“No worries, cutie, I’m sure we’ll meet again! You better hope I’m still in a good mood when we do!”

_Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about how she called you ‘cutie’ and ‘sweetheart’ and complimented you on being ‘courageous’._

“I see it’s gone loud in there.” Zus unamused voice remarks over the comm link. “Did it not go so well?”

“There, ah, there was,” Max stutters out as she’s jostled, “there was another Tenno in there. In the vault.”

“Did you get the data?”

“Yeah, that’s intact.”

“Perfect. Get back out here and we’ll pick you all up and head back.”

_Oh, you’re in for it, one way or another, Maxis._


End file.
